CHICAGO – Two of the NBA’s most dynamic point guards met up at United Center Friday evening and shared a few words about their mutual plights. Then they headed to opposite ends of the hallway, each to his individual routine, each according to his own timetable.

Ricky Rubio and Derrick Rose are brothers in rehab from knee ligament surgery. For the dazzling point guards of the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Chicago Bulls, the end of the 2011-12 season came dramatically and prematurely – Rubio in early March on an otherwise innocent-looking collision with Kobe Bryant, Rose near the end of Game 1 of the playoffs against Philadelphia.

From there, it was left-knee surgery for both – Rose tore his anterior cruciate ligament, Rubio both his ACL and medial collateral ligament). Lost opportunities at the London Olympics – Rose with Team USA, Rubio with Spain’s national squad. And now, still, months of work on the side, often accompanied by therapists, trainers and coaches yet, in terms of where they’d rather be, always so alone.

“It’s tough,” Rubio told reporters in the visitors’ dressing room before Friday’s Wolves-Bulls preseason game. “It’s a tough injury. You are like six, eight, nine months without playing your favorite sport. Sometimes it’s just playing basketball where you forget about everything and you just enjoy it. I just wish him a healthy recovery.”

Rubio got hurt nearly two months before Rose, which presumably has him about two months further along in his rehab. Minnesota coach Rick Adelman said the point guard, who turns 22 Sunday, has been limited to “straight-away” running and is about two weeks away from lateral cuts. He recently added a little jump to the set shots he had been taking.

Rose has been jumping for at least two weeks, but he still is projected to return after the All-Star break in late February or in March. Rubio’s target date is sometime in December or possibly January.
“Every recovery is different,” he said.

Losing Rubio for the start of this season was bad enough, but the Wolves’ optimism for 2012-13 was dealt another blow Wednesday when All-Star forward Kevin Love suffered two broken bones in his right hand. Love, too, could be out until December if the 6-to-8-week prognosis goes full term.

Rubio said he had the same thought a lot of Minnesota fans had when he learned of Love’s injury. “We have so much bad luck on this team,” he said, sighing. ” I don’t know how to say, [if] it’s too much for us. Because he’s so important to this team. But it is what it is, we can do nothing. We just have to work harder and try to come back together.”

Asked about Love’s reaction when they spoke – the power forward traveled to see a hand specialist in New York and hasn’t met with Minnesota media – Rubio said: “He’s sad. He’s mad. But there’s nothing he can do except move forward.”

That’s how the Wolves have approached Rubio’s absence, too. Adelman said he expects the point guard will have some rust and other challenges once he actually is playing again, but he was encouraged that Rubio had not let his spirits plummet over the injury and layoff.

“He was very surprising,” Adelman said. “I really felt, as a young guy, he’s so energetic in his approach to the game … but he didn’t get down at all. He was disappointed, but I didn’t really see him look like the world came to an end.

‘”His whole thing has been, ‘I’m gonna come back.’ I think he’s been that way since Day 1. That’s a good attitude to have. He’s young enough that, when he gets back, he should be fine. He’s a great kid. He’s a tough competitor. If anybody’s gonna get there, it’s going to be him.”

26 Comments

jeremy lin in the top 30 or 20 in a few years? just coz the dude isn’t flashy doesn’t mean he isn’t good. He’s smarter than all those high jumping pgs in the NBA. It’s just that NBA is all about flashiness since most of its fans are little boys and girls. Rose is just more athletic than LIn that’s all. Now, I’m not saying that Rose is bad but Lin is on a different level. Best basketball player ever after he retires.

Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Westbrook, Derron Williams, Rajon Rondo, Tony Parker, Kyrie Irving, Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton, D.J. Augustine, and so many more BACK UPS that will destroy J Lin, he is nice, though, just not as nice as these guys are.

what the hell is wrong with yall. Derrick rose is one of the best point gaurds in the league. yall want to say jeremy lin sorry self is better check the stats. When jeremy does half of that give me a call. jeremy lin fails in comparison and yall need to stop smoking crack

lin is the best point guard in the league. have been watching basketball since the 80s and honestly no one is even to being as good as jeremy lin. Magic’s not better, isiah definitely not and today’s point guards just fall way short in comparison to LIN. Jeremy Lin is the best. May go down in history as one of the best NBA players of all time. Wouldn’t suprise me. Dude’s a beast.

Lin is smart and can shoot, He has no where near the athletic ability that D Rose has, and D Rose is also smart and can shoot. I wish everyone would stop trying to compare Lin to guys like Rose, He’s got a lot of heart but I worry all this hype will hurt his confidence

In reality D.Rose is returning possibly after All-Star break but he technically won’t return until maybe a month or two prior to that considering the fact that coach Tom Thibodeau won’t actually give D.Rose starting minutes until he knows D.Rose is 100% ready. No need to rush them into the season anyway they are young and up incoming players that still have a lot to learn, hope them the best.

Jeremy Lin better than D rose? Hahahah Chris Wong ! Your suppose to root for a bum like Jeremy Lin !!!! your last name is Wong! D rose killed Jeremy when they played in Chicago. Lin will be in foul trouble trying to guard d rose!!!! Lets see how he does in Houston when the focus is now on him

LOL are you serious? Lin the best point guard in the league? You obviously only started watching basketball this year. He’s good, but even Rose will school him with a bad knee. Please watch some basketball rather than reading newspaper articles.

If I am D. Rose, I am not returning until next season. He is going to miss half the season, might as well miss the whole season. That will give him extra time to get even better. I would participate in practices; however, I would not play.

I think the injury is more important to Rose than to Rubio : Rose is so much about explosiveness and speed when Rubio is more of a technician. I guess Rubio can make a good comeback ; as for Rose, I wish him the best but I’m not sure he’ll be able to deal with such a severe injury, maybe he’ll come back but full speed won’t be easy to achieve…

These guys just need to get their knees right and for good! Not come hurrying back and disappoint nba fans and themselves as well. There is plenty of excitement to be had in the nba this season, they just have to be patient and wait for the right time to be part of it. We’d rather miss you this season than the rest of our lives.